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Saturday, March 9, 2024

Battle of Sanguetta 1497

Perhaps having beaten a dead horse with six battles of Lake Trasimene, time to switch gears and periods.

Lots of periods from which to choose but bringing the Great Italian Wars collection to the table won an unscientific poll.  With two new players to Basic Impetvs (and one player new to remote gaming), a small, introductory scenario seemed appropriate.  Armed with the new scenario book, War Gaming Scenarios by Rodolfo Maria Verginella in hand, I settle on the small, 1497 Battle of Sanguetta.

Players were given a battle briefing and asked to prepare their battle deployments, unknown to their opponent.
Battlefield deployment zones
Opposing Armies
Both players (Stephen as Vitelli and Brian as Borgia) sent their deployments to me ahead of game day and I set the table.  When players arrived for battle, the table looked as,
Armies deployed for battle.
From the Papal deployments, Brian looks to be channeling Frederick and his Oblique Maneuver rather than Machiavelli!  Perhaps Frederick was a student of Machiavelli?
Borgia's Army
Vitelli's Army
Battle deployment overview.
With armies deployed and a quick overview of the rules given, on to battle.

As Borgia's artillery, crossbow, and harquebusiers pin the enemy in place, the pike blocks and the Men-at-Arms march through the open woods in an effort to turn the enemy's flank.  At the first sound of the guns, Borgia's guns find their mark and destroy Vitelli's artillery.  The battle is off to a good start for Borgia! 
Vitelli's artillery destroyed!
Quite annoyed with this result, Vitelli orders his Men-at-Arms (MAA) forward.  As the MAA reach the crest of the gently rolling hill, Vitelli charges down and into the awaiting guns.  The outcome is decided quickly.  Borgia's guns are overrun. 
Vitelli attacks the enemy guns...
and Borgia’s guns are quickly destroyed.
With success against the guns and his MAA now exposed, Vitelli orders his missile troops to advance down from the hill to engage the enemy.  Vitelli's pike blocks turn to counter Borgia's outflanking maneuver.  Seeing enemy MAA almost upon his flank, Borgia turns his pike blocks to meet this sudden threat.
Vitelli sets his army into motion.
With enemy near, Borgia turns to face this threat. 
Having seen his battle line pierced by Vitelli's MAA, Borgia's crossbowmen turn to give the enemy horsemen a volley as they pass through the lines.  Excited by the opportunity to shoot into the MAA's rear, Borgia's crossbowmen forget their own safety.  These impetuous fellows are, in turn, attacked in rear by Vitelli's crossbow and dispatched.   
Passing shot at Vitelli's MAA.
A fleeting opportunity turns into catastrophe.
Despite enemy cavalry to their rear, Borgia's pikemen press forward to engage Vitelli's pikemen.  Not wanting to give up the initiative, Vitelli's smaller pike block (of two) charges down from the high ground.  The Landsknechts stand in their way.  Fighting through the Landsknecht's dopplesoldners, Vitelli's pikemen push the Landsknechts back.  Vitelli's pikemen continue to press on.
First clash of pike!
Landsknechts are pushed back.
Meanwhile, having seen their pikemen press on toward Vitelli's pikemen on the hill, a clear path opens and Borgia sees Vitelli leading his MAA through the woods.  Not wasting a minute, Borgia sends his MAA to attack.  Not expecting enemy heavy cavalry upon his flank, Vitelli's heavy cavalry break.  Vitelli, himself, falls on the field during the chaos.  
Vitelli falls in battle!
While enemy horsemen are being dispersed, the fight at the hill continues.  With Borgia leading the way, the Landsknechts push back, driving the enemy back up the hill.  Vitelli's lead pike block falls back upon support.
Borgia and his Landsknechts push the enemy back.
Overview of the situation.
Although suffering heavily from losses, Borgia encourages the Landsknechts to take the fight to the enemy.  Striking the rightmost enemy pike block, the two formations grind each other down.  With Vitelli's pike block fresh and larger, Borgia's Landsknechts are fighting an uphill battle (literally!).  The Landsknechts' numbers are dwindling as pikemen stream to the rear.  Finally, the Landsknechts can take no more and break. Borgia does not survive the battle.  
Borgia orders one more charge!
Fighting is hard as the Landsknechts waver.
Landsknechts break and Borgia is killed.
With the breaking of the Landsknechts and the death of Borgia, the battle is over.  Victory to Vitelli and the Orsinis!

While Stephen came away with battle honors, Brian put up a very hard fight.  In the end, the result was close.  Very close.  The battle was not decided until the final loss of the Landsknechts.  Both armies were teetering on the break point.

Both players fought a good fight using a ruleset unfamiliar to both.  Well, Brian, at least, had read through the rules beforehand but had never played a game.  Both adapted quickly and play was smooth.  Game lasted about two hours.  Thanks to both players for a fun encounter and a chance to get my Italian Wars collection back out and onto the gaming table.

What did Brian and Stephen think of the rules and the game?  Well, they are both willing to return to the table for a rematch next week after swapping sides.  That says something, I reckon.

Expect more battles at Sanguetta over the coming week.

62 comments:

  1. This has much going for it, beautiful Amies and a density / size of action that as you know I have a soft spot for. A close call and two happy gamers - the scenario definitely gets it right.

    I know that you like something fairly meaty. Introductory purposes aside, did the game and 2 hours game time have enough in it for you or do you crave an increase in numbers?

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    1. Yes, this would be a size of action you would enjoy. About a half-dozen unit on a battlefield of about 5' x 5'. No cravings afterwards. I enjoyed the game and the size offered a very good introduction to the rules especially with most of the troop types present.

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  2. Great game and fantastic looking armies

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  3. As Borgia it was quite a challenging situation. I thought that if I came out of the woods (disorderd) opposite the Orsini line my pikemen would be easy meet thus the attempt to flank. That plan went astray with Stephen's charge into the woods and then continuing into them. I'd not realised that crossbowmen could charge and all I expected was a few arrows in my rear! A really great game, thanks Jon and Stephen and I'm looking forward to changing sides.

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    1. I thought the game offered opportunities and challenges for both armies especially given the small size of the battle. With only seven BMUs each, wasting units is not an option. The 'T' crossbowmen with no Impetvs factor typically cannot initiate melee. The exception is when attacking a unit's flank or rear.

      Glad you enjoyed the game. I sure did!

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  4. I think we would all like a full report of game 2 on the VWC....
    Frederick famously penned his "Anti-Machiavel" so was well aware of the Florentine and his works.....
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Machiavel

    Neil

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    1. A report on the rematch is a possibility, for sure.

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  5. Looks great and reads like a good game. I think it's over a decade since I last played the original Basic Impetus. (Where does the time go?)

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    1. The game was very good, Ross, and it came down to a near photo finish. I look forward to a rematch to see if tactics change when armies are swapped.

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  6. Ahhh so that’s how it turned out! The hidden / unknown enemy deployment is a great wheeze.

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    1. Indeed! This is how Game #1 turned out. I still have a little matter of chronicling our game from Friday. Loved the look on your face when you saw the table for the first time in our Friday game. Priceless!

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  7. That looks to be a nice tight scenario and a couple of hours seems like a good length as a first introduction. The 28mm figures look great in action again.

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    1. The scenario was very good and play was tight throughout the battle. Much ebb and flow as the two armies jockeyed for supremacy.

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  8. Those massed pike blocks look great. Another entertaining game.

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    1. Thanks, Peter! I do enjoy seeing the pike blocks out on the table.

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  9. Nice report Jonathan. This block hints with all their flags really look impressive.

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    1. Thank you, Mark! This is a very colorful period especially with all of the banners waving.

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  10. A great looking game and, like Norm, I think its an almost perfect size for a two player encounter. Looking forward to version 2! The Renaissance armies are, needless to say, outstanding 👏

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    1. Thank you, Keith! This is a good size for two players but they could have easily handled twice the number of figures in two commands each. Still, this was a good size for an introduction.

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  11. That is a very nice looking game, I like the size of it, very manageable. The figures look lovely, a very enjoyable read, looking forward to the refight!

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    1. Thank you, Donnie! Three more replays are scheduled.

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  12. The game looks excellent and l venture it was great fun to play in too.
    Alan Tradgardland

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    1. Thanks, Alan! It was fun for the umpire (me!) especially to see part of this collection back out on table. With both players willingly returning, they must have seen some value in the game too.

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  13. Stunning figures there Jon and great to see them in action too! As per Norm's comment above, this is a perfect sized action for me and just enough units to get a good game in, but not too many that it becomes a chore. Purely for research purposes of course, I checked the Pendraken catalogue to see what they had. Likewise the Pike & Shotte rules from Warlord Games...

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    1. Thank you, Steve. It is a very colorful period and this was a good size for an intro for new players. Good luck on your TWO new projects!

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    2. I fear this might become another project! I think I have a lot of core troops from an old Late Middle Ages project that could work, so would only need to add the pike blocks and maybe some armoured cavalry. Maybe time to read Oman's book 'The Art of War in the XVI Century'...

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    3. Well, if you already have the core troops, it seems a shame not to finish off the project. You are not the first, this week, to mention thoughts of sitting down to read Oman!

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  14. Mighty fine figures and equally fine narrative, the scenario works well it will be interesting to see the return game and how it plays out.

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    1. Much appreciated, Phil! The scenario produced a close game. In a game on Friday, the battle game down to the end too. I look forward to Brian and Stephen's rematch.

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  15. The battle was both tense and fun, as both players had at least a sniff of victory and both our avatars were killed or captured. The game was played in a good spirit and more than ably umpired. I was pleased to play an historic encounter in a period that does not grace my own table - my pike and shot troops being for a later era and a different geography.
    For game/encounter Two I hope to be more focussed. I had Plan A [retreat back over the hill and make the Papal forces come to me, if Brian could be Frederick the Great, I might be Wellington] - this was abandoned as I was unsure how easy it would be to move when I wanted and reform behind the hill - I decided there was too much risk of being caught with my backs to the enemy [some of that sort of thing happened in the battle]. Plan B was to sit on the hill and defend. Opportunity C was the lure to come off the hill and revenge my artillery.
    My biggest mistake/loss was to keep my Men at Arms going forward through the wood and so presented flank and rear to Mr Borgia. I was simply trying to "get out of Dodge" as quickly as possible so that I could reform. However though mounted the heavily armoured troops were too slow and suffered the very thing they were seeking to avoid. [Lesson learnt? - we'll see]. I should simply have turned around where I was.
    For a new way to game, unknown rules and a fresh period - this delivered in spades thanks to Jon and Brian.
    Now for the rematch and overcoming all the concerns Brian had in the first encounter finding his army stuck in the [light] woods - not a great place for pike blocks and massed armoured cavalry.
    Stephen [Duke of Baylen and on this occasion Vitelli for the Orsinis]

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the new experience, Stephen! Great to have both Brian and yourself at the table. I may need to work on my hosting skills to rise above "more than ably"!

      Retiring off of the high ground would have provided a very different game. With the Cohesion Test benefit of holding the high ground, I think you made the correct decision. Losing Vitelli and his MAA on their romp through the woods was unfortunate. I doubt we see that repeated.

      Thank you for the encouraging feedback on our game!

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  16. I enjoyed that Jon. Lovely figures, lively action. Basic Impetus does seem to chew through generals though.

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    1. Good! Happy to see you enjoyed the report, Anthony. In Friday's battle against The Jolly Broom Man (commenting above), both Borgia and Vitelli survived the battle. BI does not necessarily result in dead field commanders but it is possible.

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  17. Amazing looking game. Really good to see the pike blocks out.

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    1. Thanks, Richard! Really good to have these armies back out.

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  18. Those really are very good looking figures and the combination of Impetus and your two players seemed to handle the pikes much better than my recent games with other systems have done. Macedonian pikes look positively drab against those Italians. I am tempted to dabble in yet another period. Thankfully I don't have the cash at the moment!

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    1. Thank you, Kim! Playing BI on a hex grid worked well although the hexes are a little cramped to fit a three-stand pike block.

      I look forward to seeing your new period when the cash stream flows once more...

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  19. Great to see your Italian Wars on the table Jonathan and a report on one of the scenarios in the book. I look forward to working my way through the book once the War Room is finished.

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    1. George, having watched all of your lovely games over the last couple of years, finally getting my collection out was a huge relief. There are a lot of interesting scenarios in the book, some of them are HUGE.

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  20. Cracking stuff Jonathan….
    It looked like a nice manageable size of game…

    All the best. Aly

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    1. Thanks, Aly! Yes, a very manageable sized game. Perfect as an introduction.

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  21. Few things in our hobby are better looking than a Great Italian Wars game on the table, and this one certainly is no exception! I figure the scenario book has already paid for itself! :-)

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    1. I agree with you on this point, Peter. It sure has taken me a very long time to get these armies back out and onto the table. They may remain out for a few games. Given that some of the books I buy get little use, you are right.

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  22. Italian Wars always looks great and this is no exception Jonathan! Lovely!

    Christopher

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  23. That sounds like the perfect game. Plenty of ebb and flow.
    Chris/Nundanket

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    1. The game size is good for a quick (under two-hour) clash. Much back and forth, no doubt, and not decided until the very end.

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  24. Great looking battle - with impressive pike formations!

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  25. A fine collection with armies of a size most gamers can both aspire to and accommodate on a home table.

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    1. Thank you. If you look back two posts, you will see the entire collection on parade.

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  26. I really like the hidden deployment and probably helps speed things up. great shots of your miniatures! all those pike blocks look fantastic! 😁

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    1. Thanks, Stew! Wait until you see what I pulled in my game against JBM with hidden deployment.

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  27. A fabulous looking game Jon, the figures do look rather tasty too!!! Its such a colourful period to paint and play. I now maybe tempted to dig out my 15mm Italian Wars collection out of their dusty boxes. I was speaking to Richard about it on Monday, I've not played a game with them for at least 14 years!!! Which is a disgrace!

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    1. Thanks, Ray! I am not sure I even knew you had an Italian Wars collection. You should dig them out and put them on the table for a game.

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  28. Lovely to see your splendid Italian wars armies on the table and it sounds like a great game, funnily enough I've got a Caterina Sforza command stand on my painting table for a change, what do you think of the scenario book? Do I need to get it!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thank you, Iain! On the scenario book, I think it too early to make a recommendation. I think it overpriced but value is in the eye of the beholder. For 20 scenarios, it is a decent little book especially if you play one of the rulesets supported. For me, it is a worthy addition to my library and the Sanguetta scenario has provided three good games so far.

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  29. Exciting game! I was a bit stunned at the opening positions with Borgia's Landsnechts facing obliquely to Vitelli's army. Close fought game.

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    1. The game was very exciting. I think the players enjoyed it too as an introduction to BI.

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